The Ukrainian athlete sparked new controversy after breaking the rules set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thursday February 12, 2026.
The International Olympic Committee said in a statement that skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was expelled from the Milan-Cortina Games for “refusal to adhere to the IOC’s athlete speech guidelines.”
The IOC added: “After being given one last opportunity, skeleton driver Vladyslav Heraskevych of Ukraine will not be able to start his race at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games this morning.”
The Ukrainian athlete was disqualified from the skeleton event with just 21 minutes left before the first round of the men’s skeleton event on Thursday (February 12) in Cortina.
Ukrainian Vladyslav Heraskevych was kicked out of Milan Cortina 2026 for his symbolic gesture of wearing a helmet in solidarity with Ukrainians who lost their lives in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The helmet Heraskevych had intended to wear bore images of Ukrainian athletes killed in the Russian-Ukrainian war, which broke out in 2022.
Why was Heraskevych disqualified from the Winter Olympics?
Heraskevych had the support of Ukrainian President Zelensky, but his disqualification cost the athlete a violation of the rules set by the International Olympic Committee.
As a reminder, athletes are only allowed to express their views during press conferences and on social media, but not during the event.
However, the IOC tried to convince Heraskevych to change his mind, but his efforts failed.
